14-day Life Skills Expedition

Taking you right back to our roots, this classic adventure is intended only for the most hardened of Outward Bounders and budding explorers. An epic journey of self-discovery, you’ll spend each and every night camped out under the stars. The 14-day expedition will challenge you to become a leader, take the initiative and motivate yourself and others. You will make lasting new friendships on the way and with the help and support of our most experienced instructors you will explore some of the most spectacular places that The Netherlands has to offer from the hull of a kayak, on a Dutch sailing barge, by mountainbike or foot.

Expedition Outcomes

Experience and appreciate genuine adventure

Gain confidence to overcome new challenges and improve personal determination

Increased self-awarness and personal responsibility

Develop team skills with people from diverse backgrounds

Work on effective communication and consideration of others

Increase concern for, and greater awareness of the natural environment

Step aboard and find out what it takes for people to live and work successfully together to create an amazing sea journey. Learn to read charts, steer, set your oars and still spend time getting to know the other members of your crew. Sail on the sea, exploring islands, learning sea navigation, cooking and sleeping aboard the boat, and working together to keep running on course.

Navigation, winds, waves, tides and currents are bound together like intricate puzzle pieces. Journey to and around islands off the coasts of The Netherlands, where you’ll learn the lessons of the sea – everything is connected, sometimes it takes teamwork to achieve goals, and sometimes you need to step up and lead. On an Outward Bound sailing expedition, you will realise that you can take on more than you ever imagined. And those lessons can help you set your own course in life.

Outward Bound’s history is steeped in nautical tradition. Outward Bound was founded in the tumultuous waters of the North Sea during World War II, to provide young sailors with the experiences and skills necessary to survive at sea. In fact Outward Bound is the nautical term for a ship’s departure from the certainties of the harbour. And while all Outward Bound expeditions are transformative, you really experience that special history when you join an Outward Bound sailing expedition.

Sea Kayaks allow you to travel into waters too shallow for most boats as you explore diverse coastlines. As your skills progress, you will face new challenges such as crossing open water or navigating in the soft light of dawn. At night, make camp and sleep on the beach under the stars.

The water will test your balance and give you a feeling of self-confidence as you learn to master the necessary skills. You will learn to paddle solo and/or tandem kayaks. You will also learn strokes, how to read ocean currents, water rescue techniques, and how to navigate with charts. Coastal environments are incredibly rich with wildlife such as seals or harbour porpoises. No matter where you travel to go on an Outward Bound sea kayaking expedition course, you will see a change in yourself.

At Outward Bound, we guide you on the first step of a journey that continues for the rest of your life. The everyday challenges of your course will teach you to go beyond what you thought you knew about yourself and your capabilities. You are stronger than you thought. And, once you realise that, you will be able to access that strength again and again throughout your life. Don’t settle for just any kayak trip with any kayaking school, rise to the challenge of one of Outward Bound’s sea kayaking trips and take home the courage to follow your own path.

Between sailing and sea kayaking, you will learn important life-saving techniques and the basics of lifeguarding. Learn how to use a surf board as a rescue device, practice CPR on mannequins and study the best techniques in staying safe on both land and water.

An Outward Bound backpacking trip will enhance your endurance as an individual and enrich your ability to work as a member of a team, as you and your group tackle miles of wilderness terrain every day. Challenge your mind to interpret topographical maps and translate them into the landscape before you. Your body will become comfortable carrying and living out of your pack.

Your backpacking expedition will teach you about challenge and accomplishment. You learn that by choosing your path, instead of letting it choose you, you can go further than you ever imagined you could. Discover your true abilities and potential – and gain a genuine sense of accomplishment.

The solo experience provides an important break from the rigors of the expedition and gives participants the opportunity to reflect on their Outward Bound experience. Many participants use this reflection time to make decisions about their future, journal and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings unencumbered by the constant external stimulation of modern life. The duration of solo depends on the competency and preparedness of the participant group. With all the food, skills and supplies they need, participants are given a secluded spot to reflect alone and are monitored by staff throughout the experience to maintain safety. Particpants find that a solo provokes profound and powerful learning in a short period of time and often becomes one of the most memorable parts of their Outward Bound experience.